Odor-eliminating pants are hot seller in Japan
除臭內褲在日本熱賣

Tue, Feb 05, 2013 - Page 10

Underpants which are claimed to neutralize the smell of flatulence are proving a hit in Japan, whose hard-working businessmen seem to like the idea of breaking wind without being discovered.

A Japanese textile company has developed a range of underwear which it says prevent unwelcome odors.

“It took us a few years to develop the first deodorant pants that are comfortable enough to wear in daily life but efficient in quickly eliminating strong smells,” said Nami Yoshida, a spokeswoman for the company, Seiren.

“At first we thought about selling them to those who require nursing care and to hospitals ... But to our surprise, lots of ordinary people, like businessmen who are in positions that require them to see people on a daily basis, bought them,” she said.

The underpants are manufactured with sniff-absorbing ceramic particles in the material fibers.

The company’s range has now expanded to 22 items, including socks that prevent feet from smelling and t-shirts that mask the whiff of sweaty armpits.